Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (EIC STEP)

Stapel aus Holzklötzen, die als Stufen einer Treppe dienen, mit einem roten Papierflieger auf einem blauen Hintergrund.

The Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) is a European Union initiative designed to sustainably strengthen Europe's technological sovereignty in critical sectors. Under the umbrella of the European Innovation Council (EIC), STEP provides ambitious deep-tech companies with access to significant growth capital (scale-up funding) to establish groundbreaking innovations in the European market and reduce the EU's strategic dependencies.

Key Features of EIC STEP Funding

  • Focus on Large Scale-Up Investments: Unlike the regular EIC Accelerator, STEP focuses exclusively on equity-only investments (Equity-only via the EIC Fund) ranging from EUR 10 to 30 million.
  • Catalytic Leverage Effect: The funding acts as a major catalyst to attract large-scale private investment rounds with a target volume of EUR 50 to 150 million (leveraging 3 to 5 times the EIC investment).
  • Target Audience: Fast-growing SMEs, start-ups, and small mid-caps (up to 499 employees) that have already secured initial commitment from a qualified private investor (pre-commitment covering at least 20% of the target round).

The Two Funding Tracks at a Glance

Depending on the primary application of your technology, the programme is split into two distinct, dedicated calls. Please select the appropriate pathway for your project:

EIC STEP Scale Up
(General Call)

 EIC STEP Scale Up Defence
For technologies in the fields of Digital Technologies, Clean and Resource-Efficient Technologies (Clean-Tech), and Biotechnologies with civilian or dual-use applications. A specific call dedicated to breakthrough deep-tech innovations with a primary defence application (e.g., cyber defence, drone systems, military logistics, advanced sensing).
Go to EIC STEP Scale Up  Go to EIC STEP Scale Up Defence